Cecil Shorts III sacrificed football’s most glamorous position for the good of his team.

This year, the Mount Union College All-American will have a chance to throw his hat back in the ring.

Shorts will get reps at quarterback and receiver next week when the defending NCAA Division III national champion Purple Raiders kick off preseason practice.

The senior from Cleveland played quarterback for his father at Collinwood High School and was under center when he first came to Mount Union. Last year, he became the Raiders’ top receiver with 77 catches for 1,484 yards and set a league record with 23 touchdowns.

“Quarterbacks have to throw a controlled amount and wide receivers have to run a controlled amount in the preseason,” Mount Union Head Coach Larry Kehres said. “He knows all of his routes and assignments and is in great condition. I think he can take perhaps 50 percent of his practice time to work at quarterback as opposed to backing off and watching other wide receivers.”

The Raiders have to fill some big shoes left by the departure of quarterback Greg Micheli. The 2008 Gagliardi Trophy winner is the only player to be named MVP of two Stagg Bowls and has the best passer rating in college football history.

Shorts was non-committal about which position he preferred during Tuesday’s Ohio Athletic Conference Football Media Day at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

“If Coach feels like it’s best for the team for me to play quarterback, I’ll play quarterback,” Shorts said. “If it’s best for the team I play receiver, I’ll play receiver.”

An injury that cut short his freshman season kept Shorts from gaining ground on the quarterback depth chart. He backed up Micheli the following year, but also caught 12 passes for 289 yards and three touchdowns.

Playing Shorts more at receiver became an option last season when the Raiders were looking to fill the void left by Pierre Garcon. Shorts, who also is an All-American sprinter, embraced his new role and was voted the OAC’s top receiver.

“In ’07, Cecil was emerging as a receiver and we had three other seniors,” Kehres said. “Last year he was the top receiver. If he wasn’t practicing at receiver, there was a bigger dropoff in what Greg had to work with. It made more sense for him to practice exclusively as receiver.”

While open to either position, Shorts says there is something special about playing quarterback.

“Having the ball in your hands every play, the whole game is on you, you can get all the praise and all the negativity,” he said. “I like both positions, but I do miss quarterback.”

Kurt Rocco is another candidate to take over at quarterback. The senior from Cincinnati played 13 games as Micheli’s backup last season and threw two touchdown passes.

“His strength is he can throw the intermediate and deep ball extremely well,” Kehres said. “If Cecil is streaking down the field wide open, there’s a pretty good chance Kurt will put that ball in a good spot.

“The questions revolve around the pressure of playing the position day in and day out. That’s what we have to find out in preseason camp.”